Tag: Terry Maggert

I have enjoyed several of Terry Maggert’s books lately, including his Heartborn young adult fantasy. In celebration of the forthcoming sequel, Moonborn, Terry is throwing a giveaway! Also, check out the rest of the tour on the Audiobookworm Tour Page!

About Terry Maggert:

Born in 1968, I discovered fishing shortly after walking, a boon, considering I lived in South Florida. After a brief move to Kentucky, my family trekked back to the Sunshine State. I had the good fortune to attend high school in idyllic upstate New York, where I learned about a mythical substance known as “Seasons”. After two or three failed attempts at college, I bought a bar. That was fun because I love beer, but, then, I eventually met someone smarter than me (a common event), and, in this case, she married me and convinced me to go back to school–which I did, with enthusiasm. I earned a Master’s Degree in History and rediscovered my love for writing. My novels explore dark fantasy, immortality, and the nature of love as we know it. I live near Nashville, Tennessee, with the aforementioned wife, son, and herd, and, when I’m not writing, I teach history, grow wildly enthusiastic tomato plants, and restore my 1967 Mustang.

Keiron was never meant to be anything other than a hero. Born high above in a place of war and deception, he is Heartborn, a being of purity and goodness in a place where violence and deceit are just around every corner.

His disappearance will spark a war he cannot see, for Keiron has pierced the light of days to save a girl he has never met, for reasons he cannot understand. Livvy Foster is seventeen, brave, and broken. With half a heart, she bears the scars of a lifetime of pain and little hope of survival.

Until Keiron arrives.

In the middle of a brewing war and Livvy’s failing heart, Keiron will risk everything for Livvy, because a Heartborn’s life can only end in one way: Sacrifice.

Fall with Livvy and Keiron as they seek the truth about her heart, and his power, and what it means to love someone who will give their very life to save you.

Julia Whelan has appeared in many films and television series, most notably ABC’s Once And Again. After receiving a degree in English and Creative Writing at Middlebury College and Oxford University, Julia began narrating audiobooks. She’s recorded hundreds of novels across all genres and has received multiple Earphones and Audie Awards. She is repeatedly named one of Audiofile Magazine’s Best Voices and was Audible’s Narrator of the Year.

Livvy Foster has a new heart, home, and a place in the powerful halls of House Windhook. The fall of Sliver was only the beginning of a civil war that sees angels from across the sky challenge each other to lead a world in which the past and the future are connected by a storm crafted from time, ambition, and power.

When House Selinus attempts to bend the light of days in order to become the supreme power in an apocalyptic future, they confront a goddess who is older than time itself– and she’ll stop at nothing to get the one soul who escaped her deadly grasp: Livvy.

With deceit, war and love swirling in the clouds above a shattered world that was once Livvy’s home, she’ll be asked to do something a girl with a broken heart never thought possible.
Fight for Windhook. Fight for her world.
Take wing with Livvy, one heartbeat at a time.

Note: This book can work as a stand alone though you would get more out of it if you had read the previous two books just because of the relationship between Carlie and Wulfric.

Set nearly 1 year after the ending of Book 2, Halfway Bitten, Carlie is still fretting over Wulfric’s fate after he sacrificed his humanity to defeat the Big Baddie from Book 2. But she’s also still working at the diner and playing servant to her 35 pound cat Gus. Then her librarian friend gives her a new puzzle to work on – a stranger has turned up in town and he looks like he needs be brought up to speed. Exit Wainwright is a miner and mineralogist who recently woke up 100 years after he was cursed into a forced sleep.

Immediately, Gran and Carlie are on the case. It takes a bit of powerful magic to put someone into a suspended sleep for so long. Exit’s first concern is to find out what happened to his wife. He’s a practical man and he expects that she is dead but he wants to find her grave and perhaps learn how the rest of her life played out. Gran and Carlie immediately take him under their wings.

Early on, Carlie is able to use a spell to try to locate the remains of Mrs. Wainwright. However, what they find only deepens the mystery and also saddens Exit. Carlie then brings her shape-shifter friend, Alex, and his sister Anna (who Carlie isn’t a fan of) up to speed on the unfolding mystery. Alex is really growing on me. Anna is still mostly in the shadows in this book, despite her tie to Wulfric (they have a child together) and Carlie’s dislike of her.

It turns out there is a hunter in Halfway and Gran and Carlie disagree with his methods and his choice of prey. This book surprised me because they solve one problem only to have another layer revealed and yet another foe or obstacle to be tackled. Meanwhile, Carlie has been working for the past year on a spell to help Wulfric, whose vampire half has taken over. Carlie is in danger from more than one front! I wasn’t sure how things would turn out in the end and I was kept guessing until the last chapter.

Gran continues to surprise me. I am growing really attached to her character. In this book, Carlie makes a tough but perhaps a dangerous choice. Gran shows her what happened to a relative of hers in the past and that bit of family history really sobers Carlie.

As a final note, I really enjoyed the mail delivery lady in this story. She was introduced in the previous book, but she gets a bigger role in this story. Her wholesome sexuality is also a welcome addition to the tale. Plus, she rather practical and capable – two things that I always appreciate.

The Narration: Erin Spencer continues to do this series justice. She makes a really good Carlie and I love her Gran voice as well. Her light accent for Wulfric remains charming. I also like her big bear of a man voice for Exit.

What I Liked: Carlie walks a narrow path between good and evil in her spell for helping Wulfric; Gran continues to be a font of wisdom; Exit is a fun new addition; Alex is turning into a good friend; great narration.

What I Disliked: Nothing – this was a fun read!

About the Author Terry Maggert

Left-handed. Father of an apparent nudist. Husband to a half-Norwegian. Herder of cats and dogs. Lover of pie. I write books. I’ve had an unhealthy fascination with dragons since the age of– well, for a while. Native Floridian. Current Tennessean. Location subject to change based on insurrection, upheaval, or availability of coffee. Nine books and counting, with no end in sight. You’ve been warned.

Erin loves audiobooks! As an actress, they have allowed her to creatively stretch by playing all kinds of characters, all kinds of ages and all kinds of accents! She voiced roles in the Audie award winning title, Illuminae and was also nominated for a Voice Arts Award in the romance category. She has narrated over 100 titles and as an audiobook director has worked on at least 100 more. She has worked for most of the major publishers and also enjoys working with indie writers who are some of the most talented writers out there! Follow her on Twitter @ErinSpencerLA or find her on Facebook, Erin Spencer Actress.

Welcome to Halfway; where the waffles are golden, the moon is silver, and magic is just around every corner.
A century old curse is broken, releasing Exit Wainwright, an innocent man trapped alone in time.
Lost and in danger, he enlists Carlie, Gran, and their magic to find the warlock who sentenced him to a hundred years of darkness. The hunter becomes the hunted when Carlie’s spells awaken a cold-blooded killer intent on adding another pelt to their gruesome collection: hers.
But the killer has never been to Halfway before, where there are three unbreakable rules:
1. Don’t complain about the diner’s waffles.
2. Don’t break the laws of magic.
3. Never threaten a witch on her home turf.
Can Carlie solve an ancient crime, defeat a ruthless killer and save the love of her life from a vampire’s curse without burning the waffles?
Come hunt with Carlie, and answer the call of the wild.

Note: This book works fine as a stand alone though I think you would enjoy some of the characters more if you read Book 1, Halfway Dead first.

Set in the picturesque, touristy New York town of Halfway, Carlie is still making waffles at the local diner. Wulfric is enjoying his new-found freedom, and Carlie’s company. Gus still appreciates having human slaves to open his tuna and provide a warm bed. But something is afoot, and it’s more than just the circus in town and the clowns cluttering up the diner. As more bodies pile up, Carlie and Gran must put their witchy powers to use. Vampires are crossing their territory and not all are behaving nicely.

This was another fun addition to the series. Carlie is a little older, a little wiser, but also completely smitten by her half-vampire Viking lover. I think her love life had her a little distracted throughout the book, but I can forgive her. It’s her first love and she’s fallen hard. Plus, Wulfric is an interesting character in his own right. Things are complicated a little by his previous girlfriend, a shape-shifter named Anna. They have a child together and so it’s unlikely that Anna will ever truly be out the picture, much to the irritation of Carlie.

The librarian was also a favorite character, even though I don’t recall his name. He’s a little awkward, totally geeky, and definitely a worthy ally. He helps Carlie dig up info on the first body and he doesn’t lose it when he actually sees the body. I also enjoyed the mail delivery lady. She has a wholesome sexuality that everyone enjoys. I am glad the author put this character in the story because she serves as counterpoint to Anna. Carlie goes off a few times about Anna’s promiscuity and it really borders on slut shaming, but then we have the mail delivery lady who Carlie likes. I’d like to point out we never actually see Anna behaving badly, we just hear about it from Carlie. Jealousy? Perhaps.

I really enjoyed Gran sharing one of her secret information sources, a certain ghost. That scene has stuck with me and still has me chuckling. I love that Gran is not only an important person in Carlie’s life but also a worthy mentor.

Eventually the mystery starts to unfold as more than one vampire attempts to cross the lands protected by the McEwan witches. And, of course, the clowns play into it as well. How could they not? If you find clowns a little creepy, then this story will raise your gooseflesh. I really liked the underlying mystery and Gran and Carlie have to go to battle with their witchy spells. I’m on the fence about whether or not I liked Wulfric’s role in the final battle.

Overall, this was a solid story and I got quite a bit of enjoyment out it. However, I did enjoy Book 1 more. Still, I look forward to the next book in the series.

The Narration: Erin Spencer does another good job with this installment in the series. She really sounds like a 20ish woman. I also like her accent for Wulfric and some of the clowns had accents as well. Her Gran is also growing on me quite a bit.

What I Liked: Carlie’s determined to protect her territory; vampires; ghosts; Wulfric the viking vampire; great narration.

What I Disliked: Slut shaming? Perhaps; still on the fence about Wulfric’s role in the final battle.

About the Author Terry Maggert

Left-handed. Father of an apparent nudist. Husband to a half-Norwegian. Herder of cats and dogs. Lover of pie. I write books. I’ve had an unhealthy fascination with dragons since the age of– well, for a while. Native Floridian. Current Tennessean. Location subject to change based on insurrection, upheaval, or availability of coffee. Nine books and counting, with no end in sight. You’ve been warned.

Erin loves audiobooks! As an actress, they have allowed her to creatively stretch by playing all kinds of characters, all kinds of ages and all kinds of accents! She voiced roles in the Audie award winning title, Illuminae and was also nominated for a Voice Arts Award in the romance category. She has narrated over 100 titles and as an audiobook director has worked on at least 100 more. She has worked for most of the major publishers and also enjoys working with indie writers who are some of the most talented writers out there! Follow her on Twitter @ErinSpencerLA or find her on Facebook, Erin Spencer Actress.

The circus came to Halfway, and they brought the weird. When clowns, vampires, and corpses start piling up in town, Carlie has to break away from her boyfriend, Wulfric, to bring her witchy skills to the table- or grill, as the case may be. When the body of a young woman washes up in the lake, it unleashes a spiral of mystery that will bring Carlie, Gran, and Wulfric into a storm of magical warfare. Spells will fly. Curses will rain. Amidst it all, Carlie will make waffles, protect her town, and find out if a man from the distant past can join her in happy ever after. With love and honor at stake, Carlie has no peer.

Set in Halfway, New York, Carlie works at the only real diner in town. She has a large, ornery cat named Gus, and she treasures her grandmother. Oh, and she’s also a witch. Things were pretty quiet until a few restless spirits and a determined cop started pestering Carlie. Now there is a child’s spirit trapped in the depths of the forest that she must free or learn to live with a troubled conscience.

I had a lot of fun with this book. Carlie is a character I want to be friends with. She’s independent but not prickly about having friends who show they care about her. She also takes care of her things in the belief that they will be there, in good condition, to take care of her. It’s an idea that I strive for even if I don’t often obtain it. Carlie doesn’t hesitate to show folks that she can take care of herself and she doesn’t apologize for whatever bruises a heavy-handed person might receive from her. Yet she isn’t some alpha female always feeling she has to fight to maintain her place in the world. Over all, she’s really well balanced and I really like that about her.

My inner biologist loved the bit about the long-lost chestnut species. They were key in locating the source of the troubled spirits. The first third of the book is spent in the small town of Halfway (there are wendigo!) but the rest of the story is spent in the woods. Get your nature hiking boots out folks! Carlie and Major Pickford, a cop involved in the case, set out to find this mysterious source of unsettled spirits. My one teensy spoiler is that along the way they meet Wulfric who I think will continue on in the series. Wulfric’s existence in the woods brings up plenty of questions but he also supplies plenty of answers. Carlie and crew have quite the fight ahead of them. Not all will come out of it OK.

I was truly surprised by what they found in the woods. First, there was Wulfric (but I won’t spoil why he’s such a surprise). The next surprise was a kind of lost legends surprise. I found it clever and amusing at the same time. Finally, there is an epic battle near the end. For the first in the series, I wasn’t expecting that level of a fight but in retrospect, it does fit. Carlie isn’t some newly minted witch. No, she’s had years of training and has a good idea of what she can and can’t do. All around, it was a great ride and a satisfying read.

The Narration: Erin Spencer was a good pick for this book. She mad a very practical Carlie. I also liked her accent for Wulfric. Her male voices were believable and she did a great job imbuing scenes with emotion as needed.

What I Liked: A witch who knows her business; practical Carlie; wendigo!; plenty of unexpected secrets in the woods; disturbed spirits; satisfying ending; great narration.

What I Disliked: Nothing – this was a fun read!

About the Author Terry Maggert

Left-handed. Father of an apparent nudist. Husband to a half-Norwegian. Herder of cats and dogs. Lover of pie. I write books. I’ve had an unhealthy fascination with dragons since the age of– well, for a while. Native Floridian. Current Tennessean. Location subject to change based on insurrection, upheaval, or availability of coffee. Nine books and counting, with no end in sight. You’ve been warned.

Erin loves audiobooks! As an actress, they have allowed her to creatively stretch by playing all kinds of characters, all kinds of ages and all kinds of accents! She voiced roles in the Audie award winning title, Illuminae and was also nominated for a Voice Arts Award in the romance category. She has narrated over 100 titles and as an audiobook director has worked on at least 100 more. She has worked for most of the major publishers and also enjoys working with indie writers who are some of the most talented writers out there! Follow her on Twitter @ErinSpencerLA or find her on Facebook, Erin Spencer Actress.

Carlie McEwan loves many things. She loves being a witch. She loves her town of Halfway, NY – a tourist destination nestled on the shores of an Adirondack lake. Carlie loves her enormous familiar, Gus, who is 25 pounds of judgmental Maine Coon cat, and she positively worships her grandmother, a witch of incredible power and wisdom. Carlie spends her days cooking at the finest – and only – real diner in town, and her life is a balance between magic and the mundane, just as she likes it.

When a blond stranger sits at the diner counter and calls her by name, that balance is gone. Major Pickford asks Carlie to lead him into the deepest shadows of the forest to find a mythical circle of chestnut trees, thought lost to forever to mankind. There are ghosts in the forest, and one of them cries out to Carlie across the years. Come find me.

Danger, like the shadowed pools of the forest, can run deep. The danger is real, but Carlie’s magic is born of a pure spirit. With the help of Gus, and Gran, and a rugged cop who really does want to save the world, she’ll fight to bring a ghost home, and deliver justice to a murderer who hides in the cool, mysterious green of a forest gone mad with magic.

Everyone, please welcome Terry Maggert to the blog today. I really enjoyed his suspenseful YA angel novel, Heartborn. A big thank you to Jess at The Audio Book Worm for setting up this book tour. Swing by the tour page to catch more interview, reviews, giveaways, and guest posts. If your interested in the giveaway (and who wouldn’t be?), scroll to the very bottom to learn how to win an Amazon GC, an audiobook copy of Halfway Dead by Terry Maggert, or a bluetooth speaker. On to the interview!

*Author’s note: these are great questions, and it’s high time someone considered my feelings about draconic issues.

Would you rather have a dragon, or be a dragon?

Have, and my reasoning is purely selfish: I want to experience the majesty of having a dragon as a friend– think of the things it would lead to. Never search for a parking space. Avoid the DMV forever. No pesky TSA, or the need to check your broadsword before you board a cruise. Those are all things of the past. Additional fun: Think of the speaking engagements. “Terry and Banshee, thank you for being here. Could you tell us a little about your”—

“ROOOOAAAAARRRR.”

“Banshee would like me to tell you to never give up on your dreams. Did someone say there was an open bar?”

I’m don’t see a downside to this. Ever.

If you could, what book/movie/TV series would you like to experience for the first time all over again and why?

I could blather on about some obscure French film but that would just be posturing. In film, it has to be Star Wars because I was nine years old and it was the closest thing I’d ever seen to my dreams made real. I was a little boy when the Apollo missions went to the moon; I’d stand in our front yard (I’m from Florida) and watch those enormous rockets blaze upward and it was like I was onboard. If that doesn’t kindle your imagination, nothing will.

For books, it has to be The Dragonriders of Pern by Anne McCaffrey. It is, and will always be my first printed love. I’ve bought, re-bought, and bought them again because I wear them out. Seriously.

If you were sent on a magical quest which other 4 fantasy authors would you take with you?

This is EASY. Magical quests are always filled with things that have tentacles and fangs and whatnot. So, as follows:

Larry Correia (GUNS!).

Jim Butcher (KNIVES!)

Ursula K. LeGuin (Diplomacy/Magic)

And, there’s an up-and-coming British writer named J.K. Rowling who, I’m told, might be able to contribute magic systems and *possibly* finance the whole mission, although we’ll have to see if her books become popular. I’m pulling for her.

Which ancient or historical works have you not read and periodically kick yourself for not having made time for them yet?

As a writer and history prof, this question brings me great shame. Among the numerous classics I *should* have read by this stage in my life, I think the most important one is Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations. He was an emperor who found time to write. I should find time to read it, in between eating cookies and goofing off. Oh, and I need to re-read Frankenstein because my love for monsters has been like a fire in my imagination.

To sum up: Yes, I feel shame.

If you were asked to create the syllabus for a college class in SFF literature, what books would be on there as required reading? As passing discussion?

This is one of the most hotly contested subjects I’ve ever discussed at author events; it’s much like arguing about the greatest baseball player or singer or whatnot.

For sci-fi, I say start deep in the past. Jules Verne and Edgar Rice Burroughs are an absolute must. They led to the explosion of what we call genre fiction, and thus, we have the golden era. I’d say, given twelve books in SFF?

Journey to the Center of the Earth, Jules Verne

John Carter of Mars, Edgar Rice Burroughs (the origin of Star Wars!)

The Left Hand of Darkness, Ursula K. LeGuin

The Passage, Justin Cronin

Startide Rising, David Brin

American Gods, Neil Gaiman

A Spell for Chameleon, Piers Anthony

Dragonflight, Anne McCaffrey

Outlander, Diana Gabaldon

Sunshine, Robin McKinley

The Lord of the Rings, J. R. R. Tolkein

Dune, Frank Herbert

Of course, we will now let the arguments begin.

Care to share an awkward fangirl/fanboy moment, either one where someone was gushing over your work…..or one where you were gushing over another author’s work?

This is actually one of my high points. I was signing at LibertyCon this summer, and paired with Todd McCaffrey for an autograph session. Some points to know:

He is the son of my favorite writer, Anne McCaffrey.

He now writes my favorite series.

I’ve carried a copy of Dragonsongwith me for more than 35 years.

I brought my tattered old book with me (given to me by my buddy Tim when we were kids), and Todd didn’t just sign it (he’s an incredibly nice guy), but chatted with me about his mom and their books. Aside from my parents, the McCaffrey family is the longest relationship I’ve had in my life. Here is the evidence:

Terry Maggert’s favorite book.

Then, for my fanboy moment, he signed MY dragon book, Banshee, which is dedicated as follows: “To Tim, who gave me Anne, who gave me dragons.”

I was, and am, giddy.

Terry Maggery with Todd McCaffrey

What are the top 3 historical time periods and locations you would like to visit?

Let’s consider this for a moment, based on something I say as a history professor. “The good old days weren’t very good.”

I love things like dentistry, clean water, and air conditioning. With that in mind, if I’m going to visit the past and have a return ticket, I say:

Stonehenge. I MUST know who built it, and why.

Machu Picchu during its peak. Can you imagine a city in the clouds?

Paris in the 1880s— Ain’t no party like a Parisian Belle Epoque Party cuz a Parisian Belle Epoque Party don’t stop. The art. The culture. The intrigue. The wanton alcoholism and nudity. It’s all there.

You have to run an obstacle course. Who do you invite along (living or dead, real or fictional)? Will there be a tasty libation involved?

We will run and drink mead, as the Gods intended. And by we, I mean, “Me, Leif Ericson of the Norsemen, and the Celtic warrior queen Boudicca, because I’m not just going to run that course, I’m going to WRECK it.”

About Terry Maggert:

Born in 1968, I discovered fishing shortly after walking, a boon, considering I lived in South Florida. After a brief move to Kentucky, my family trekked back to the Sunshine State. I had the good fortune to attend high school in idyllic upstate New York, where I learned about a mythical substance known as “Seasons”. After two or three failed attempts at college, I bought a bar. That was fun because I love beer, but, then, I eventually met someone smarter than me (a common event), and, in this case, she married me and convinced me to go back to school–which I did, with enthusiasm. I earned a Master’s Degree in History and rediscovered my love for writing. My novels explore dark fantasy, immortality, and the nature of love as we know it. I live near Nashville, Tennessee, with the aforementioned wife, son, and herd, and, when I’m not writing, I teach history, grow wildly enthusiastic tomato plants, and restore my 1967 Mustang.

Keiron was never meant to be anything other than a hero. Born high above in a place of war and deception, he is Heartborn, a being of purity and goodness in a place where violence and deceit are just around every corner.

His disappearance will spark a war he cannot see, for Keiron has pierced the light of days to save a girl he has never met, for reasons he cannot understand. Livvy Foster is seventeen, brave, and broken. With half a heart, she bears the scars of a lifetime of pain and little hope of survival.

Until Keiron arrives.

In the middle of a brewing war and Livvy’s failing heart, Keiron will risk everything for Livvy, because a Heartborn’s life can only end in one way: Sacrifice.

Fall with Livvy and Keiron as they seek the truth about her heart, and his power, and what it means to love someone who will give their very life to save you.

Julia Whelan has appeared in many films and television series, most notably ABC’s Once And Again. After receiving a degree in English and Creative Writing at Middlebury College and Oxford University, Julia began narrating audiobooks. She’s recorded hundreds of novels across all genres and has received multiple Earphones and Audie Awards. She is repeatedly named one of Audiofile Magazine’s Best Voices and was Audible’s Narrator of the Year.

Keiron believes the girl is worth the attempt. His brother Gerrick does not. Keiron falls to Earth without his wings and he remembers just enough to seek out Livvy Foster, a teen-aged girl with half a heart. He believes she is the key to something greater, but is he right?

There were many things I loved about this book. First, it’s a very different take on angels. In fact, these winged beings rarely bring up the word ‘angel’. Most believe their world is entirely enclosed with nothing of interest below them. They have their own politics and factions, deceivers, creators, historians, and warriors. I really enjoyed this take on the ethereal realm of angels. It was so much more fascinating and beautiful because it was so visceral. These angels are not of the peace-loving, nurturing variety.

The story switches back and forth throughout. There’s 17-year-old Livvy with her little job at the library. Then there’s Vosa and Sinoff dealing with the aftermath of their son Gerrick giving their other son Keiron a good shove into the human realm. War is brewing in the angels’s realm. Meanwhile, Livvy has her own struggles – she has a faulty heart which often leaves her breathless and rather slow on her feet. Luckily, she has Dozer who is her self-assigned best friend at the library.

At first, I was mostly interested in the angels’s realm because it was so very interesting. There’s Cressa, a blightwing, who is currently serving an indefinite amount of time in servitude to this ruling council. She brings Vosa and Sinoff the summons, and they treat her like a real person instead of shunning her. Things continue to get interesting when one of their daughters, Habira, joins them. She’s a warrior in her own right.

It took me a bit longer to get into Livvy’s story line. She has this heart thing, but few specifics are given. The focus is mostly on how it affects her day to day life. Dozer provides some humor, which is good. Then Keiron joins the mix and a little romance enters the story (which was OK but not necessary for me). Yet it was when we start getting hints of something more going on with another lady at the library that I truly became interested in Livvy’s storyline. There’s a bit of mystery, a hint of danger there.

So we have all these great elements going on: the uniqueness of the angels; Livvy’s limited function; Dozer’s humor; a war brewing; Cressa’s back story; the mystery at the library. I was really into this book. And then, in the final quarter of the book, things take a turn. Well, actually, I’m not sure where things went. I really thought I missed a chapter. I went back and relistened to the section to make sure. In the end, I felt like there were pieces missing. The final outcome I was OK with, but I don’t get how we got there and how certain characters went from being evil to being good guys. I suffered more than whiplash from how quickly this story changed things up near the end. I really hope there is a sequel that will answer all of the many, many questions I have.

The Narration: Julia Whelan did an excellent job with this book. I really liked her young Livvy and her wise, patient Vosa. Her playful Dozer was great too. She imbued the characters with all the right amounts of emotion and that did much to bring this book a live for me.

What I Liked: The realm of the angels; all the interesting politics, etc. of the angels; war is brewing; Livvy’s friend Dozer; a mystery at the library; great narration; gorgeous cover art.

What I Disliked: The last quarter of the book really jangled things up – what? huh? why? are you sure? how did we get here?